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Ethiopia

Ethiopia Driving Advice and Car Hire Info

Driving in Ethiopia
Before driving abroad in Ethiopia you should check travel advice on your Governments website as most Governments advise against all travel to certain parts of the country including the Danakil desert and the border areas with Somalia and Eritrea.Unfortunately theres a lot of red tape to get through in order to drive in Ethiopia.Even with an International Driving permit, you need to get a temporary Ethiopian licence. You need to get your own licence authenticated by your countries embassy in Ethiopia,complete a certificate with the ministery of foreign affairs and provide 2 photos. There are fixers in the country who can help arrange all this, or you could contact your country’s embassy and ask their advice.

Aside from security issues, Ethiopia is statistically the most dangerous country to drive in, in the world with more deaths per motor vehicle than any other country. There are many accidents both in Addis Ababa and in the countryside. Roads are poorly maintained, inadequately marked, and poorly lit. Road travel after dark outside Addis Ababa and other cities is very dangerous and should be avoided at all costs due to hazards posed by broken-down vehicles left in the road, pedestrians and stray animals in the road, plus the possibility of armed robbery. Excessive speed and poor driving standards make many local drivers as dangerous as the roads themselves. Many vehicles are unlicensed and many drivers lack basic driver training or insurance. Emergency services are limited in Cities and nonexistent in many parts of the country. You should always carry spare tires, fuel, and tools on long trips and be prepared to wait a long time for assistance. Ethiopia is a challenging driving abroad destination and you should exercise great care at all times.

Ethiopia Car Rental –
Avis have an outlet in Addis Ababa

If you’d prefer to use a local firm , this is a company called TAAD and they appear to be one of the most professional
http://www.carrentethiopia.com/

This somewhat eccentric site offers cars , seemingly via two operators Sami and Jonny (Hertz its not!) It does provide the opportunity to rent a 1963 VW Beetle though which is an intriguing rental possibility –
http://carrentalethiopia.com/

The aforementioned Sami doesn’t seem to have a website but his email address is –sami_car_rent@yahoo.com